Mario has been a constant presence on every Nintendo console over the years, and the Nintendo GameCube was no exception. Between his solo adventures, sports outings, and cameos, Mario was all over the place during the GameCube era. But of all the Mario games on the console, which ones were the very best?
Nintendo emphasized pushing their characters in new directions during the GameCube’s lifespan, and nobody experienced this more than their famous mascot. Mario went to some surprising places during the GameCube era, which led to the console housing some of his most unique adventures.
The games on this list managed to not only tweak the Mario formula in substantial and interesting ways, but they did so while also being some of the very best games on the system.
Best Mario Games on GameCube – Super Mario Sunshine
Super Mario Sunshine is famously divisive amongst fans, but it was still the GameCube’s flagship Mario title and provided some of the best platforming content of the era. Sure, it was unusually buggy for a Mario game, and the F.L.U.D.D mechanic was an odd addition, but the game did a lot of things right as well. It was one of the few times that a 3D Mario adventure took place in a cohesive world, and it did a great job in making Isle Delfino feel like an actual lived-in place and not just a collection of levels.
Outside of a few glitches, Mario controlled as well as ever, and the game boasted a wealth of content with 12o Shrine Sprites to collect. It also features some of the most challenging content in any 3D Mario game, as many of the later secret levels that players had to tackle without F.L.U.D.D were grueling tests of platforming skill. It might not be as universally beloved as other 3D Mario games, but Super Mario Sunshine is still one of the best experiences on the GameCube.
Best Mario Games on GameCube – Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door took everything that the fan-favorite original RPG did well and improved on all of it. The combat is peak Paper Mario, and the overworld is much more expansive and enjoyable to explore than in the N64 original. The Thousand-Year Door‘s real strength, though, is in it story. The game completely switches up the series formula by taking place in a brand-new land with one of the most colorful and unique casts of characters ever assembled in a Mario adventure. After traveling to the land of Rogueport, Mario meets the X-Nauts who promptly kidnap Peach (the game had to retain some usual tropes) and Mario must then set off to recuse her and eventually save the world.
While it sounds fairly traditional on its surface, the story goes in directions that no Mario game went before or has gone since, with some of those places being surprisingly dark. But the story is also extremely heartfelt, and has some of the best and most humorous writing in any Nintendo game – the Bowser segments between chapters alone are comedic gold. While the Paper Mario series is still ongoing, the majority of its fans consider this to be its peak. Just try to find a copy of it online; often times The Thousand-Year Door sells for $100 or more.
Best Mario Games on GameCube – Luigi’s Mansion
Is Luigi’s Mansion a Mario game? It’s tough to find another category to put it in, and Luigi’s first solo adventure is so delightfully unique that it deserves to be recognized here. This game also flips the typical Mario storyline on its head, as for once Mario has been kidnapped, and Luigi is tasked with exploring a haunted mansion to find him. The game’s haunting visuals and catchy-yet-eerie music helped to create one of the most memorable locales in Mario‘s history.
The slower-paced, atmospheric experience was unlike anything Mario players had ever seen, and though it wasn’t a massive hit when it first launched, the ghost-hunting gameplay has become more beloved with time. There’s a reason why Luigi’s Mansion 3 is so highly regarded.
